Saturday, May 04, 2013

11th Hour Preacher Party: Holy Parting Gifts Edition

They call chapters 14 through 16 of the gospel of John the "farewell discourse of Jesus." My children know all about the farewell discourse of Mom. Whether it was their first day of kindergarten, or their last moments before leaving for an international flight, or the day that I was the mother of the bride -- or any time they embarked on a new thing -- there were things that needed to be said. Instructions were offered, sometimes, and also encouragement and affirmations and words of love. Right before the good-bye, each word seems as precious as each fleeting moment.

Do you suppose that Jesus said his good-byes to his disciples with a parent's heart as well as a rabbi's pride?

I am at the end of two weeks of vacation, so I am not preaching this weekend. The first ten days were spent moving my household possessions from Pennsylvania to Louisiana. Even with lots of wonderful help, it was a big job and it was emotional. After all of that, the body is weary and my mind is ready for a change of pace. So, I'm looking forward to this day, hanging out here with you.

Whether you are a Preacher Party regular or a new arrival, WELCOME to the party!

Please share stories, children's ideas, sermon drafts, prayer requests, or anything that is on your mind. If you don't see what you need, please ask.

The coffee is fresh, hot, and fair trade. The snack table is ready for your treats.

98 comments:

Good morning. I'm just having breakfast - fresh fruit and yogurt followed by Scottish breakfast tea with toast and marmalade. Lots to share! Sermon is pretty far on this week thanks to a train journey on Wednesday. Preaching on the Acts - going over to Macedonia.It's a beautiful spring day here so going to spend a couple of hours tidying the study and then head out for a walk and a picnic lunch. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has later on.Sharon, you're a wonderful, chilled host. Thanks.

I am continuing the theme of reconciliation I began last week; which is helping me to work out all the stuff I learned on retreat the week before. Continuing with Jesus' "final" farewell gifts, love last week and peace this week; and the vision of heaven in Revelation - this week the River of Life. The kids are going to create a river during their time and will do a show & tell when the return. It will be displayed in their corner for all to see. I ma hungry... so going to brew some coffee... and maybe rustle up a scone or two!! Now I have an outline I can pop away while the ideas percolate....

Good morning, gals and pals! Off to walk 3 miles for The Diversity Center - partly to support a friend's daughter who works there, partly to get in my daily walk with another friend, and mostly to support and feel good about the value of diversity, something I sorely miss in my church and surrounding community. Food and sermon later.

Lack of diversity is hard for me, too. My sis commented on the one person of color (the only one) that she saw while we were packing up in PA. Congregations with no (or little) obvious diversity also don't want to hear about how diverse they are in other ways. In the UCC, we have a way to talk about that as one of our values -- "unity, not uniformity" -- but even among those of us who claim that, diversity is not always embraced fully.

I am off lectionary all of May...nothing really jumped out for me when I read the lectionary texts. (Too bad I didn't have Sharon's intro...that could be fun play with graduations etc all month) I am doing a series with some of the titles of Barbara Brown Taylor's "An Altar in the World". This week is waking up to God. Perhaps not an initial waking up...but exploring what it might me to continue to wake up to God our entire lives.

A good chunk of yesterday was spent officiating at a funeral and all that goes with that. This morning I am meeting with a bride/groom for the first time. They are from out of state and back for a family event.

As someone who is no longer a young adult (60th birthday coming up!), I would look forward to your telling of the good news that I can look forward to more "waking up to God" events. Even knowing they are out there, I am always surprised when it happens. Wonder why that is . . .

It's a cool, green, sunny day in South Louisiana. The birds are chirping and the stinging caterpillars are out in full force. Oh yes! A spring danger here are these spiny black inch-long things that fall out of trees at this time of year. You don't want one to drop from a tree onto you, and you don't want to step on one barefoot. There are venomous spine tips involved. Not fun.

morning! I'm working on Acts, but I have a VERY short time in which to say anything. We are welcoming new members, having a baptism, and it's a communion Sunday! So I only get about 5 minutes or so...less would be better...I'll have to really write carefully! The title I put in the bulletin is "Active Listening"--working on how both Paul and Lydia listened to the Spirit and put what they heard into action. (oh yeah, the title has double meaning. nice.)

Today I'll be making a curried lentil soup for lunch, so feel free to stop by in a few hours. :-)

Not preaching tomorrow morning. I have been on the first 2 days of a course training as a spiritual director (spread over 6 weeks) and fortunately thought to ask a lay minister to preach. I didn't have to preach last week either as I was at a friend's first Eucharist. Was just congratulating myself on this lovely break when I received a call inviting me to preach at the cathedral at Evensong tomorrow. One doesn't decline such an invitation. So now instead of known congregation and relaxed sermon I have to prepare one for an unknown congregation and in such a place of high esteem! Why is it I hear the sound of peals of laughter coming from the Almighty?!

Good morning - barely! Getting a slow start here today, and now I see it's almost noon. Eep!

We are still living in a hotel (our house is being repaired - mostly floors, almost everywhere - following our refrigerator water line bursting while we were out of town New Year's Day). Today is Day 25 out of our house - but who's counting? ;) I could technically move back in this weekend (everything has been put back in order except for the basement), but my husband is now out of town on study leave, and I can't manage moving out of this hotel with two kids, two cats, and 3+ weeks of groceries and belongings, while prepping for Sunday, on my own. So instead, I am writing my sermon here in the suite bedroom on the bed. Wheee! Good times.

I'm preaching Revelation and have been looking forward to it - what a beautiful text!! - but am struggling to find focus and passion today. I think writing while sitting up in bed doesn't help!

I'm back - beautiful morning for a walk through the city to celebrate diversity - pics on FB.

Sermon: preaching the second half of John 21. Basically talking for about a sentence about how "feed my sheep" has an expansive definition, telling the Naomi Shihab Nye airport story that was making the rounds this week, and saying that when we feed Jesus' sheep, amazing things begin to happen in human community. And then moving onto communion, the feeding of sheep.

For communion I am doing something I learned at a workshop for Lent (Terri Pilarski -- the one with your seminary professor) -- interspersing four readings into the liturgy. I put together the first person, very short readings by summarizing news articles I found online over the past few weeks-- a doctor who cares for the elderly in the South Bronx, a young person serving a life sentence without parole in California, a Syrian refuge in Jordan, and a homeless woman who used to work on a military base. At the workshop, the readings were from a book of stories from Nicaragua (I think) -- it was an incredibly moving service. I'm hoping . . .

Oh, and I seem to be switching over to my new email account. But it's still me, Robin from Metanoia.

Good afternoon preachers. It's a beautiful day here, and I'm just back from a clean-up day at the church. And totally lacking inspiration.

It has been a difficult week; we are dealing with a situation of on-going conflict and bullying that flared up IN CHURCH last Sunday. And a letter that has been circulating finally hit my mailbox--and the mailbox of all the vestry members as well. I've known about this letter and its contents, but a few of the signers surprised me. The ringleader/bully is toxic, but she is also someone who grew up in this congregation and she knows how to play them. It makes my stomach hurt thinking about it. I've begun working with a consultant who is coming to our vestry meeting this week, but meanwhile, I dread being in the presence of this person. She was at the work day, and she will be in church tomorrow, too.

So I am thinking about going for a run before I even try to start writing; maybe it will help me get my head together...was thinking about doing something about Lydia; also love the imagery of the river flowing by the throne of God in Revelation, but feel like I can't do it justice; not at all inspired by John at this point. Ugh. Come Holy Spirit!

Oh RDM, so so sorry you have to deal with this. I know that stomach-hurting-want-to-run-or-throw-up feeling all too well. I hope you are able to find some peace and that the Spirit speaks clearly and quickly so you can get some rest. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow! ((((hugs))))

So sorry this is happening to you and your church. I had a flare up about once a year until I made them all mad enough to leave - not my intention....

I am preaching on peace this week. What does it mean that Jesus leaves us with his peace? Can we know peace in the midst of conflict? Are they polar opposites or apples and oranges? I'm not sure I even have an answer but, then, I am more than willing to leave sermons without a neatly tied bow. ;-)

Whew we are a busy lot. Rev Dr.mom, you need our prayers. How very difficult. I'm back from the food bank where our congregation works every other month. It's always so hard to get up and get going, but I'm always glad I went.

Does anyone have any fresh coffee left? I warmed up a cup but its not doing the trick. I put together a 'keynote presentation' last night (PPT for Mac) and now need to tailor my remarks to it. I am really ready for a vacation but have another week to go. Somehow the HS will have to do the heavy work for the next 10 days.

okay, I have something that ties together the Acts text, community, baptism, and communion, all via the importance of Active Listening, in 574 words. If I talk at my normal speed, that's about four to 4-1/2 minutes, which is about all I've got time for tomorrow. I really want to post it for your feedback, but I'm also aware that a fair number of church people are reading my blog these days and I don't want to give it away either!

The soup is ready and it is DELICIOUS. It's vegan, creamy with a few chunks of potato and soy curls (which feel like chicken pieces), and full of curry goodness. Come on over! (there'll still be plenty for dinner too, so if you're not ready now, get hungry for later!)

I will not be preaching this Sunday. The Consultant for the Capital Improvement Campaign will be preaching instead. Prayers requested for my congregation as they work towards a $150,000 goal to repair the roof and masonry.

Didn't run yet; decided I was hungry and needed lunch first so I ate and read some more on Acts. Still not particularly inspired but feeling the need to get something, anything, on paper. Or in a document anyway (funny how i stick to the old terminology when my sermons never make it to paper, as I preach them from my iPad,)

I love days when I'm not feeling too pressured about the weeks sermon and can take the time to pray through all of your comments. It reminds me what a wonderful community this is.There's some cottage pie left from supper and banoffee trifle.I also have two kinds of soup cooking just now - lentil or red pepper and tomato. Freezing those for later in the week but help yourself.Any ideas for children's time around the Acts passage?

I have finally gotten a little bit of inspiration and focus and am just settling into a good writing rhythm - only now it's time to go pick my kids up from my mother-in-law's! Still, I am grateful for the bit of quiet I've had to finally get a good start. I think I'm maybe a third of the way in.

Though I'm tired of hotel living, there are things I will miss (hello, housekeeping!). Our window looks out onto a pond, which was a nice surprise because it is right here at the mall (I can see the mall parking lot and mall from our window, too). Anyway, it turns out that there are all sorts of birds and waterfowl around this pond, and even a muskrat. I looked up from my computer a bit ago to notice two geese and six goslings swimming across. What a delight!

All of your soups sound lovely. Wish I could partake! My lunch was kettlecorn and M&Ms. I did manage to pick up a roast chicken from the deli. I'm sure my kiddos will complain about it, so why don't some of you come join me for dinner?

I just made a GIANT pot of eye of the goat beans (to be served with a cilantro/parsley/mint relish and feta) so help yourself (I cooked them a bit too long, but squishy beans shouldn't hurt anyone).

That said, I actually had some fun with my sermon and used Maria as an image for the Holy Spirit (you know, Julie Andrews...). We'll be celebrating Rogation Sunday and blessing the church garden, so I DID segue into rogation via the Holy Spirit ;)

I am totally stuck. Having a hard time even hearing one of the texts speak to the housed and homeless who worship together in the back room of a day shelter. No inspiration. That having been said, what I really want to do is play with the notion of home and what makes a home. Maybe I'll just cheat and go to the Matthew Foxes have holes passage. But if God is an Episcopalian hung up on right proper form I'll be in trouble. Oh me, oh my. What shall I do?

I'm getting such a late start. Last night was my absolutely positively very last ever lock-in. I'm just too old and it takes too much out of me!

So I'm getting a VERY late, sleep deprived start today. Add to that the need to finish the gifts for my confirmation students, print off the faith statement inserts for which I just now received the last 2 statements (last Wednesday - "you mean you were serious about that!"), finding the robes for tomorrow that I was assured 2 months ago we didn't use for confirmation. Oh - and my almost 21 year old daughter moved home, my husband needed two trips to town last week for the doctor and my son had a doctor appt in the City. So there's not one word written yet and I've only had time for the weekly text study and David Lose's commentary.

I do have a sermon from last time around but it really doesn't fit the context. It's a toss up if it would be faster to do the major renovations on it or just write a new one.

I'm going to go print the inserts and search for robes and think about my sermon.

I too have decided I'm too old for lock-ins. Kids love them, and they can be great experiences if done well, but it now takes me 3 days to recover. I can't do that anymore. Hope your recovery is faster!

OMG, you gals are killing me. I just started doing lock-ins again a couple of years ago - after a 20 year hiatus! I'm 41! But the trick is, I make the kids go to sleep. Seriously - 12:30, lights-out. Fortunately, I have kids that like to sleep!

Ramona, we should connect sometime - you are a church pastor also doing youth ministry, right? (I think I've gathered that - correct me if I'm wrong) My husband and I are co-pastors, and two years ago, after we kept saying good-bye to our part-time youth ministers, I took on the youth ministry (on top of, not instead of, my other pastoral work). It's not a model I've seen much of (usually if a church is big enough to have a youth group, they're big enough to have a larger, specialized-ministry staff), so I'm always interested to know other people who are doing it this way.

earthchick - I would love to talk. I do middle school confirmation, and technically we have youth directors - parents of one of the students. But they've been doing it for 20+ years and the program needs new life. We're really small - 5 in middle school and 7 in high school between 2 congregations, so no specialized staff. We're in transition right now as the current youth directors have announced their retirement.

Oh btw, - go ahead and chuckle. Come talk to me when you're 52 and just spend a night in a damp basement! I breezed through lock-ins in my early 40's! My stragety is movies from about 1a-6a - puts them right out!

my lock-in strategy also involves movies. Usually starting around 1, but sometimes they play sardines until 2. I think my problem that leads to 3-day recovery is a combination of junk food, throwing off my body clock by staying up 3-4 hours later than normal, and getting mediocre sleep due to always being on the alert.

Of course, now that I'm in a new church I'm not directly responsible for youth ministry anymore, so I don't have to do those. Though the youth leader doesn't seem to do lock-ins either. Maybe these kids don't know about them yet. I certainly won't be telling!

I never got my run. The slightly greasy lunch I ate (or perhaps stress) left me with a bit of a queasy tummy and a headache. But at least I have a draft of a sermon. I used Lydia and Paul , and all of Acts, really, as examples of how we can be led unexpected place and do unimagined things if we allow ourselves to be open to God and the power of the spirit. A challenge perhaps to my very stuck congregation.

And now perhaps I will aim for an early bedtime. Channeling my inner Scarlett O'Hara, "Tomorrow will be another day..." and I need to be ready for it.

Argh! Argh, argh, argh!! I have known for a week how I was going to end this sermon. I've been planning all this time to use the same poem Robin referred to above, by Naomi Shihab Nye (though I'm preaching on Revelation). And now my sermon is almost done, and I seem to have found myself at an ending, and it is not the poem at all, which I really wanted to use (esp. to help point us toward the table). Hmm....

I keep putting it in, then cutting it, then putting it back in with fewer words, etc. I'm playing the revise, revise, revise game right now, even without the poem. I think I need to take a little break (the kids are asking for me to take them to the hotel pool - and even though it's late, I think I will oblige!). Maybe a quick dip will give me what I need to finish up!

Ok - so the sustainable sermon was not so bad. Or maybe I'm just to tired to care. I edited a out about 500 words and it's still too long. And I still want to add something directed to the confirmands.

HI there - anyone else still up? Sorry to have missed most of the party today but we had a fantastic work day at church that resulted in some throwing of stuff away and some creation of lovely new spaces. So happy! I have a few notes I'm going to hope comes together as quickly as I think they will.

I'm still here, still up, and just finishing at last. I hope your stuff comes together more quickly than mine did! In the end I am very sad to say I had to cut the poem. Waaah! (It's so long that I was going to have to sum up all of it except the last few lines, which was fine, but even so I just couldn't make it work with the rest of the flow. Bah!) But like you I definitely thought it would work great with both Revelation and Communion. *sigh*

Hi Earthchick - There's always next sunday! I dont think it's the kind of poem you can hear too often. Well, one thing a nice long poem does is make the rest of it easier to put together. It was in my head and came out on paper just like I hoped (THAT hardly ever happens).

And can I just say? Just one more sermon before sabbatical! yes! I am excited!

I'm here. Just coming. Sermon thinking has been last on my list all week, and while I had good intentions of starting as soon as I got the kids to bed, this was also the first night I had to just sit. Lots going on in my congregation in the pastoral care department. The women who had a completely unknown aneurysm burst on a Saturday about 3 weeks ago had it burst again this week. They were watching a place just around the repair site from the first that was bulging. Mid-week she was scheduled for surgery to have it basically redone, but she got bumped from the schedule to the next day because of an emergency that came in. That night it burst again. Finally got her in for the surgery about 10 hours later in the afternoon on Friday. She's still unconscious (sedated) now and on the ventilator. They tried to wean her off of it earlier today but it didn't go well. They'll try to start waking her up again tomorrow to see how it goes. We have no idea what new damage has been done. I've been spending a LOT of time with that family.

On top of that an elderly woman who has been in hospice for a month or so died, and a third elderly woman had a stroke and is expected to die within the week, also with hospice care.

Writing a sermon takes more brain energy that I really have right now. I wish hadn't been so confident earlier in the week when I planned a service based on a Scripture I've never preached before. This would have been a GREAT sustainable sermon week.

Stephanie, I'm just starting on mine as well, although finally almost to 700 words, which is a start. Now to keep some mojo going.

I've had family in since last Saturday so sermon writing just hasn't happened. I'm ok with that, but tired and seeing my morning parishioners for the first time since Easter tomorrow (we also have a Sunday evening service which has been my responsibility)...so praying that I find some inspiration and actually have something good to preach!

Praying for you inspiration along with mine. I've got a basic structure down. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm preaching from Galatians and I'm going to have to spend a decent chunk just setting the historical stage. I'm viewing it as a good thing since I have a hard time preaching from non-narrative texts. Setting up the history allows me to turn the more theological passage into a story. I even have a couple of modern, everyday family kinds of illustrations that I can throw in for examples. CRAZY. I usually suck at that!

Well, with my outline down and it being past my usual midnight bedtime AND knowing my bed is covered in all the laundry I did today in a fit of domestic diva-ness, I think I'm going to turn in for a few hours. My husband is out of town this weekend, something that RARELY happens, so wrangling the kids is all up to me in the morning. I truly will need my sermon done by about 6:30 a.m. when they wake up. No pushing it tomorrow.

Hello friends...I don't actually think anyone else is still awake, although perhaps some of our across-the-pond friends are already up and at it this morning. I had a super busy week without any time to really breathe...I helped to lead a women's retreat on Friday and Saturday, which was lovely except (a) I didn't finish my prep before I went, so whenever there was fun stuff or free time I was working madly on preparing the next session, and (b) I got home at 10 and promptly fell asleep in my chair for five hours. So now it's time to write that sermon!

Fortunately I have a good story from vacation to tell about peace that works for preaching on John, and if I do this right, I am hoping that can basically BE the entire sermon with maybe a paragraph of theology at the end.

For the children's sermon though...all I have a piece of purple cloth and an extremely vague idea. Time to do some browsing.

Thanks She Rev...I'm trying to wrap it up here, because it's time to get ready for church...YAWN. Ugh.

The sermon is done, if a bit long, so I'm just trying to made a decision on the kids' message...I had really hoped to do Lydia, but it's just not coming, so maybe something with coloring doves and folding paper cranes for the peace connection to John.

Okay, I just put brownies in the oven for the youth fundraiser this afternoon (Cinco de Mayo all-you-can-eat Mexican Café!), I am on my way to getting adequately caffeinated, I have my clothes ready for my various costume changes this afternoon (from worship to Mexican Café to a high school musical one of our youth is in), and I have half an hour before my kids are up. I am *still* trying to decide whether to put back in the Naomi Shihab Nye bit. As I fell asleep last night, I thought yes. As I woke up this morning, I thought maybe not. Gotta decide in 3, 2, 1....